Gandelger Ganbold

Gandelger Ganbold (, born 8 August 1995) is a Mongolian international footballer who plays Deren FC of the Mongolian Premier League, as a midfielder.

Early life Gandelger was born on 8 August 1995 in Erdenet, Mongolia, to Delgermaa and Ganbold. His family were originally from Erdenet but moved to the capital city of Mongolia in his early childhood. Gandelger studied at Ireedui tsogtsolbor from the age of nine to eleven. He then moved to Seoul, South Korea, with his parents where he studied at Sinmook Football Academy from 2007 to 2009. After his successful time at the Sinmook Football Academy he then moved to Gongneung Football Academy in 2009 to 2010. As a youth, he was considered by some to be the future of the Mongolia national football team.

Career

Club In 2010, Ganbold moved to London, England and played for local youth side Battersea Lions FC and became one of the top scorers in the local league. He then had a trial with Queens Park Rangers but was not offered a contract. Later he was signed to a contract by the Tottenham Hotspur Academy in 2011 following a trial which included him scoring two goals in a single match. However, Murun left the club and returned to Mongolia to re-sign with Selenge Press FC after Mačva Šabac were relegated to the Serbian League. His contract was terminated because Serbian rules did not allow non-Serbian nationals to be on the roster of teams in the third division or lower.

In 2015, Ganbold returned to Mongolia and signed for Deren FC of the Mongolian Premier League.

International In 2015 Ganbold was named to Mongolia's squad for the match against Timor Leste on 12 March during the opening round of 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification. At that time he was the youngest-ever play to receive a senior call up. He made his debut as a substitute in the match, an eventual 1–4 defeat. He was also part of Mongolia's squad for 2016 AFC U-23 Championship qualification in March 2015.

International statistics